We check in with people at each stage of the cash transfer process to see how things are going. Take a look at some of their stories as they appear here in real-time.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($493 USD)
access_time almost 3 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My life is different than it would have been if I never received the transfers in that I have build a better and spacious house. We used to live in a small house which could not host all the family comfortably. There was no space to host visitors, whenever I had visitors it was so demoralizing because I had to host them outside or sometime at the neighbor's house. I do casual jobs in the village and sometimes to get this jobs is so hard. The amount of money that I get through this is so small and cannot meet all the basic needs of the family including saving to build a better house. I am so happy because GiveDirectly has enabled me to build a spacious house and I no longer get stress up on where to host visitors. I have gotten peace of mind to do my daily activities without any stress. Thank you so much GiveDirectly for being supportive and coming to rescue us from poverty.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly does well by giving money to the poor in the community to build better houses and to buy dairy cows. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spend part of the money I received from GiveDirectly to build a better and spacious house for my family. I we used to live in a small house . Whenever there were visitors it was so demoralizing because there was no space to host them. Currently I do have a spacious house. The rest of the money I bought a heifer. An improved breed. I will have milk in the next few months when it reproduce.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($496 USD)
access_time over 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I received the transfers at around six fifty two in the morning while we were still asleep and were very happy. I woke up, prepared and went to nearest Mpesa to withdraw.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Improved livelihood is the biggest difference in my daily life because the transfers have enabled me accomplished my plans like building a bigger and spacioushouse, and buying a heifer which wouldn't be possible before. Buying and planting of certified maize seeds and fertilizers is another big difference. As of now, my maize seeds are very healthy and are at 100 percent growth rate and therefore I expect good produce.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent 300 USD of my transfers on a heifer as an addition to the one I had in order to increase milk production hence more income for my family. I also spent 200 USD on building a two roomed 26 Iron roofed house because I only had one house which was very tiny. 50 Dollars was on fertilizers and maize seeds because we used to plant local seeds without fertilizers before.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
In 2013, I joined Kabete College to pursue a course in animal health. This is something that I loved and dreamt about since my childhood. Unfortunately, I dropped after only 1 semester due to lack of school fees. I could not raise 250000 shillings that was required for the same. This broke my heart and shattered my dream. It has been years since I was last in school, and I can not think of any other meaningful thing I can do to replace my childhood dream. Only God knows the amount of frustrations this has made me go through. Being labeled a 'school drop out' by some neighbors is something that is slowly killing me. I am so determined to complete my studies and over these years I have saved a total of 40000 shillings towards the same. Receiving this money will mean the world to me because it will get me back to class once again.
What is the happiest part of your day?
I always find happiness in the evening. This is the time I am home with my family. Enjoying quality time with my two daughters together with their mother is something I feel happy for. My family is all that I have being with them feels so fulfilling.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
Farming is our main source of livelihood. We grow maize, beans and onions. We live in a drought-prone area where this venture is highly risky. We incur a lot of costs every other planting season and more often than not we get nothing in return. My experience as a farmer is one that is so disappointing. In 2019, I spent 10000 shillings to on my 0.5-acre piece of land only to come out empty-handed at the end of it all.
